MoCo School Unions Agree to Reopen Contracts

Below is the text of a press release from MCEA, SEIU Local 500 and the Montgomery County Association of Administrative and Supervisory Personnel (MCAASP), the three unions that represent employees in the public schools.

JOINT UNION BULLETIN #5

Unions Agree to Renegotiations
November 10, 2008

The leadership of the three school employee unions today announced that their executive boards have agreed to re-open negotiations over their collective bargaining agreements for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

Earlier today, representatives of MCEA, SEIU Local 500 and MCAASP met again with the County Executive's staff to review the state of the county's economy. The most recent data affirms what earlier numbers suggested: that there is a serious slowdown underway in the economy that is going to significantly impact county revenues in next year's budget.

Contract talks are expected to begin soon. All three organizations have expressed a desire to reach agreement on new terms as quickly as possible. The three unions will be negotiating as a joint team.

Without mutual agreement on new terms, the Board of Education is legally obligated to include the previously negotiated contracts in their budget proposal to the county government.

The unions are also working with the administration on the overall MCPS budget plan for next year. We believe that meaningful additional savings can be found through streamlining operations in the central office and reductions in non-school based expenditures.

We will continue to keep our members informed as the process moves forward.